However, Su Su still kept her eyes lowered, her long eyelashes casting a shadow beneath them, concealing any emotion that might leak out.
She even slightly turned her body, avoiding the direct gaze of Consort Zhuang, speaking in a tone as calm as if discussing the weather: “Sister Lao, please don’t worry. I was merely passing the time and, following the example of the ancients in ‘observing the hardships of farming,’ sought to calm my mind and cultivate myself. When the Empress Dowager heard of it, she only regarded it as a matter of self-cultivation and did not blame me.” She lightly mentioned the Empress Dowager’s name both a rebuttal and a move so subtle that no fault could be found with it.
Li Qianche’s expectations were dashed, and the malicious fire in his heart inexplicably flared. Is she really that stubborn? Would she rather endure silently than show even the slightest weakness to him? His knuckles whitened around the teacup, but in the end, he did not speak. He wanted to see how long she could hold out.
Consort Zhuang, seeing Li Qianche silent, assumed he tacitly approved of her oppression of Su Su, and her arrogance grew bolder.
She stepped closer, nearly pressing up against Su Su, her gaze licking at her like the tongue of a venomous snake: “Sister, your words make it seem that I am meddling, but it’s natural. Now that your status has changed, you are a proper consort, free to act as you wish. However… the rules of the palace, you must not forget them. After all, some falls are sufficient with just one stumble. If you stumble again, I fear it won’t simply result in demotion.” Her words were laced with threat, clearly referencing the old case of Prince Ning’s heir.
Her words were extremely malicious, almost a curse, suggesting that if Su Su erred again, she would face utter ruin.
Su Su’s fingers trembled slightly within her sleeves not out of fear, but from anger and the resurgence of painful memories from her previous life. Yet she forced herself to suppress it, telling herself she could not lose her temper, could not lose composure, could not give anyone an opening.
Mu Hanyan, who had been quietly observing until now, slightly furrowed her brows. By nature, she was aloof and avoided conflict, but Consort Zhuang’s aggressive and cutting words were truly unpleasant. Seeing Su Su being cornered while the Emperor remained silent, she understood his thoughts clearly, yet she also felt a measure of sympathy for Su Su.
Just as Consort Zhuang was about to say something even harsher, Mu Hanyan’s calm, authoritative voice rang out: “Sister Zhuang.”
Startled, Consort Zhuang looked at her with displeasure.
Mu Hanyan’s gaze was calm as she returned her look, her tone indifferent yet firm: “The Imperial Garden is serene and beautiful. The Emperor, rarely finding leisure, sits here quietly to enjoy tea, surely to relax and ease his mind. What you just said, though seemingly concern for Consort Su, repeatedly brings up old matters and palace rules. It is overly heavy and disrupts this peace. Moreover, now that Consort Su has been promoted, past disputes have already been settled by the Emperor and Empress Dowager. We, the consorts, should still speak cautiously and prioritize harmony above all.”
Her words were flawless: she highlighted how Consort Zhuang had ruined the atmosphere, subtly suggested she had overstepped by commenting on matters already decided by the Emperor, and concluded with the maxim “harmony is precious.”
Consort Zhuang was momentarily speechless, her face flushed with a mix of anger and embarrassment. She had not expected the usually quiet Consort Wan to speak up for Su Su, and with such sharp words, leaving her momentarily unable to retort. She glared at Mu Hanyan, only to find the other still calm and unruffled, as if she had merely stated a simple fact.
Su Su’s lowered eyelids quivered slightly. She was somewhat surprised she had not expected Mu Hanyan to speak up at this moment, nor with such tact, which both defused her predicament and preserved everyone’s dignity. This composure and thoroughness in the face of conflict, this unassuming yet commanding presence…
Suddenly, Su Su began to understand why Li Qianche regarded Mu Hanyan differently. Interacting with a woman like her was indeed far easier than dealing with the chaos of her own previous self. Within the complex emotions arising from her past life, a spark of insight appeared. While she was grateful for Mu Hanyan’s assistance, she knew that because Mu Hanyan was Li Qianche’s favored consort and because of all she had experienced in her previous life, she could never truly relax her guard around her.
The interruption made Consort Zhuang realize she had been carried away by jealousy toward Su Su and nearly forgot her main purpose today: to test Mu Hanyan!
She quickly adjusted her expression, restoring a smile as if the sharp, malicious person from moments ago did not exist: “Consort Wan, you are right. I spoke hastily and without proper consideration.”
As she spoke, she tilted her head to signal, and a palace maid immediately brought over a delicate food box. Consort Zhuang personally took out a small cake garnished with bright red candied fruit. The cake was tiny but exquisitely made, unlike the other desserts from the imperial kitchen. She smiled and handed it to Mu Hanyan: “This is hawthorn cake specially prepared by my little kitchen, made with the Zhuang family secret method. Sweet and sour, it whets the appetite. Consort Wan, you have seemed a bit weak lately, you should try this.”
Su Su’s gaze was fixed on Mu Hanyan, with subtle scrutiny and tension. Hawthorn cake is absolutely not to be eaten in excess by pregnant women it can easily cause complications! Though she was not knowledgeable in medicine, she had heard rumors of Consort Wan’s medical expertise. In her eyes, Consort Zhuang’s action…
This was simply like showing off one’s skill in front of a master. She could even foresee exactly how Mu Hanyan would cleverly refuse.
Consort Zhuang’s sudden gesture was so out of place why would she suddenly show concern for the Emperor’s favored consort, having previously made things difficult for Consort Wan? It was clear: she was trying to test whether Mu Hanyan was pregnant.
Li Qianche’s eyes narrowed. Mu Hanyan came from a family of medical experts; such ordinary taboos required no intervention from him.
Mu Hanyan looked at the cake placed before her, her expression unchanged. She raised a hand slightly, lightly blocking it, a perfectly measured apologetic smile playing on her lips: “Thank you, Sister Zhuang, for your kind intentions. Unfortunately, the imperial physician came this morning and checked my pulse, advising me that my spleen and stomach are weak and cold recently, so I must avoid raw, cold, or sour-sweet foods. I’m afraid I cannot partake of this hawthorn cake… but Sister Zhuang’s thoughtfulness is fully appreciated.”
Her refusal was perfectly reasonable, airtight.
Consort Zhuang’s hand froze mid-air, the smile on her face nearly collapsing. The imperial physician’s advice? What a convenient coincidence! Her spy in Shuning Palace had clearly reported that Mu Hanyan had not changed her clothes since entering the palace.
So that was it! No wonder the Emperor had been so eager to bring her back and immediately grant her the rank of consort everything had already been set outside the palace, the embryo already hidden! A wave of anger mixed with the sharp sting of jealousy instantly burned through her, and she became certain: Mu Hanyan was just making excuses. She must be pregnant!
This realization gnawed at Consort Zhuang like a venomous snake. One Su Su she hadn’t been able to completely suppress, and now there was Mu Hanyan, possibly carrying the Emperor’s child! She absolutely could not let this child be born!
She withdrew her hand sulkily, putting the cake back on the plate, forcing a smile: “I see, then it seems I have been abrupt.” Her eyes flickered with calculation.
Since it was confirmed, she had to act quickly. The upcoming Plum Blossom Banquet would be the perfect opportunity!
Consort Zhuang restored her grand, composed mask, scanning Su Su and Mu Hanyan with a gaze that brooked no refusal: “Speaking of which, in a few days the Empress Dowager will hold a banquet in the Plum Garden to admire the last blooms of the winter plum. The Empress Dowager specifically instructed us, and now that we hold the highest ranks in the palace, and with Consort Su promoted and Consort Wan close to the Empress Dowager, both of you must attend, to speak with Her Majesty and also to foster closer ties among us sisters. If anyone is absent, and the Empress Dowager takes offense, saying we are disrespectful and unmindful of etiquette… that would not be proper.”
She deliberately invoked the Empress Dowager, emphasized “rank” and “etiquette,” and elevated “absence” to the level of “disrespecting the Empress Dowager.” This reasoning left both the reclusive Su Su and the cold, composed Mu Hanyan with no suitable excuse to decline.
Su Su’s heart sank. The worst had happened Consort Zhuang had clearly decided to make her move at the Plum Blossom Banquet, intending to target both her and Mu Hanyan at once.
Mu Hanyan simply nodded lightly: “I will obey Your Majesty’s orders.”
Under Consort Zhuang’s piercing gaze and the invisible pressure from Li Qianche, Su Su knew there was no room for negotiation. If she insisted on refusing now, in Li Qianche’s eyes, it would appear she was merely acting spoiled, relying on her recently restored favor a display of unreasonable behavior, ungratefulness even and would only irritate him while giving Consort Zhuang more grounds for attack.
Weighing her options, she suppressed the storm of panic and resistance in her heart, burying all unease and objection, and spoke softly: “I… understand.”
“That is well,” Consort Zhuang said with a satisfied smile, though the smile concealed a razor-sharp malice.
“I shall expect to see both of you there,” she added. Then she turned to Li Qianche, instantly switching to a tender, gentle expression, her voice softening: “Your Majesty, the hour grows late. After a long day, shall you dine at my quarters? The little kitchen has specially prepared your favorite yam and squab soup, most nourishing…”
“No need,” Li Qianche interrupted lightly, without looking up from the teacup in his hand. “I still have affairs to attend to.”
Consort Zhuang’s smile stiffened slightly, like a delicate porcelain suddenly cracked. Though her smile remained, a flicker of embarrassment and gloom passed through her eyes.
“Very well. I shall not trouble Your Majesty further,” she said, maintaining proper decorum. After bowing once more, she took the hand of a palace maid and left Qingfang Pavilion. Her posture, however, betrayed a faint stiffness beneath her previous air of triumph.
Inside the pavilion, with the flash of garish crimson gone, an even stranger, more eerie silence settled than before.